Overshoe



(No Model.)

W. HANLEY ovERsHoB.- N0. 376,378. Patented Jan. 10, 1888.

EEICE,

PATENT WILLIAM HANLEY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OVERSHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,378, dated January10, 1888.

Application tiled October 24, i887 `Serial No. 253,177. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM HANLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinventeda new and useful Improvement in Overshoes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to an attachment for overshoes forholding them securely upon the feet. Heretofore, in overshoes which donot entirely cover the upper portion Vof the foot, it has beenlnecessary to provide a very close t over the shoe which itis designed tocover to prevent the overshoe from slipping or being unintentionallypulled off at the heel, especially when walking in mud or snow, or afterthe rubber, by wear, has lostaportion of its elasticity and become looseon the foot. As an additional precaution, usually the inside of theheelportion of the overshoehasbeen roughened to produce a greater frictionagainst the heel portion of the shoe over which it is worn. The objectof my improvement is to provide an attachment for overshoes which shallserve to securely hold them` at the heel portions thereof upon the heelsof the shoes or boots over which they are worn,` and thus do away withthe necessity of wearingatight overshoe, which is a discomfort to thewearer and a detriment to the article, and of roughening the inside ofthe heel portion,which ,is objectionable, because the friction of thisportion upon the heel of the under shoe,occasi`oned in walking and inputting on the overshoe and taking it off, injures the former by cuttingand scrap- Ing.

`1n the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of an overshoeYprovided with my improvement; and Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional viewshowing the heel portion provided with interiorlateral clamps, the clampon one side being shown in its normal state and that on the other sidein the position to which it is forced by the insertion of the foot intotheovershoe to illustrate the clamping operation.

A is an ordinary rubber overshoe, though my improvement is equallyapplicable t0 overshoes formed of other material.

B B areV clamps comprising stripsof stiff spring-steel or other suitablematerial, preferably elastic, curved, as shown at q, toward oneextremity,where it is bent, as shown at p, in abackward direction.Theclamps are fastened near their upper ends to opposite inner sides oftheA heel portion of the overshoe, preferably midway between theextremities thereof,whereby the lower curved portions eX- tend towardeach other, as shown of the clamp at the left of Fig. 2.

rllhe clamps may be secured in position, as shown, by bending theirupper ends ovenedges of the overshoe and riveting them to the latter, orin any other suitable manner. If it shall be desired to conceal theclamps, they may be covered in the manufacture ofthe overshoeby thelining or applied between thelayers of material.

Whatever the manner of fastening the clamps, their operation is asfollows: When the overshoe is off the foot, the sides of the heelportion are parallel and vertical., When t-he foot is inserted, the heelportion of the boot or shoe spreads the inwardly-curved parts p of theclamps apart, thereby forcing them at or about thelower extremities oftheir straight portions,which thus form fulcrums against the inner sidesof the heel portion, and thus causing the sides to be forced inwardtoward their upper edges. When, therefore, the overshoe v is off thefoot,the opening is in its normal condition; but on inserting the footthe effect ofthe heel upon the clamps is to reduce the openingtransversely by causing the edges of the heel portion of the overshoe toconverge, as shown at the right side of Fig. 2, and grasp between themthe opposite sides of the boot or shoe heel.

`the edges of the opening snuglyV against the sides of the footagainstthe adjacent sides .of the boot or shoe, and thus prevent theirseparation therefrom,with the bending of the foot in walking, andconsequent wear upon` the sides, and access of dirt, snow, or wet intothe overshoe.

For overshoes made of lightmaterial-such as those worn byladies-in whichthe heel portions frequently extend high up upon the foot, the 'clampsare made correspondingly light and long, and, if desired, the back partof the heel with wire or other suitable material.

Incidentally the effect of the clamps is to hold IOO portion may bestiffened around its upper edge Thile the form of elamp shown anddescribed is the best known to me, I do notlimit myself to the exaetform thereof.

The overshoe is readily removed from the foot in the usualnianner-namely, by pressure exerted at therearof the heel portion-thoughdirect pulling, sneh as would be exerted if the overshoe were stuck inmnd or snow, will not effect its withdrawal, and the bent ends p of theelalnps, by presenting fiat or baekward curved extremities, prevent themfrom eatehing into the shoe or boot while the overshoe is being;rremoved.

XVllat I elaim as new, and desire to seeureby Letters Patent, is

The combination, with an overshoe, of two clamps, B, eaeh Comprising astrip of stiff material having a curved portion, q, and secured neartheir upper ends to the opposite inner sides of the heel portion,whereby they normally converge toward their lower free ex tremities,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

\VILLIAM HANLEY.

In presence of- J. W. DYRENFORTH, Crus. E. GoR'roN.

